ATD Priorities and Activities- Maui Community College

Priority Area A: Financial Aid Participation

Evidence/Rationale: Compared to the national average, students at Maui Community Colleges are under utilizing financial aid services. The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study 2003 reports that only 17.6% of all students enrolled received some form of financial aid (need and/or merit base). The national average is 46.8%. In previous surveys, financial concerns were identified as a barrier to entering or continuing college. By increasing the participation rate at each college, Maui CC hopes to increase the persistence and success rate of Native Hawaiians and low-income students. The following goals are aligned with baseline calculations from the UHCC system office: increase percentage of students receiving financial aid, increase the number of Native Hawaiian students receiving Pell grant; and, increase the number of Native Hawaiian students entering the Achieving the Dream cohort and receiving Pell grant

Measurable Changes after Two Years:

Increase the percentage of students receiving financial aid to 39% by 2010.

Increase the number of students receiving Pell grant from 224 students in Fall 2006 to 227 students in 2010.

Increase the number of students in the Achieving the Dream cohort and receiving Pell grant from 45 students in Fall 2006 to 52 students in 2010.

Measurable Changes after Four Years:

Increase the percentage of students receiving financial aid to 43% by 2012 and to 47% by 2015.

Increase the number of students receiving Pell grant from 227 students in 2010; to 230 students in 2012; and 233 students in 2015.

Increase the number of students in the Achieving the Dream cohort and receiving Pell grant from 52 students in 2010; to 57 students in 2012; and 66 students in 2015.

Work Plan

/ Year One / Year Two / Year Three / Year Four /

Lead Staff

Increase the number of Financial Aid presentations (Discussions/Workshops/Community Events) in Maui County designed for students and families, targeting the Hawaiian population. / X / X / X / X / Financial Aid Office, Educational Opportunity Ctr., Lau‘ulu, Counseling Dept.
Work with Hawaiian Programs and Lau‘ulu to promote financial aid accessibility for the Hawaiian population: e.g. support Scholarship ‘Aha (Dec.), MCC College Day (Jan.), College Goal Sunday (Feb.) / X / X / X / X / Financial Aid Office, Educational Opportunity Ctr., Lau‘ulu
Increase exposure of high school and intermediate school students to financial aid opportunities. Activities will target Hawaiian student populations at each high school through partnerships with counselors, teachers and students. / X / X / X / X / Financial Aid Office, Educational Opportunity Ctr.,
Research state financial aid policies to discover why the UH system does not receive as much state or institutional funding as comparable schools in other states (www.nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator) in an effort to increase financial aid opportunities for Native Hawaiians. / X / X / X / X / Financial Aid Office,
ATD State Policy Team
Create a Financial Aid Outreach Counselor position to institutionalize and expand Gear Up program strategies that will improve the relationship between high school students, especially Hawaiian students, and MCC’s Financial Aid office to increase the number of applicants requesting financial aid. / X / X / X / X / Financial Aid Office, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs
Conduct annual focus groups and/or conduct online surveys with recipients and faculty to evaluate current progress, institutionalize best practices re: increasing the number of FA applicants and create a longitudinal tracking system to follow up on recipients who receive Financial Aid to verify graduation. / X / X / X / Financial Aid Office, Educational Opportunity Ctr.,

Priority Area B : Developmental Intervention

Evidence/Rationale: A high number of Native Hawaiian students enter Maui Community College needing developmental reading, writing, and math. In a Fall 2006 cohort 41 Native Hawaiian students placed into Developmental Reading, 50% (3 out of 6) successfully completed developmental Reading; in that same year, 62 placed into Developmental Writing, 65% (20 out of 31) successfully completed developmental writing; 31 students tested into Developmental Math 56% (5 out of 9) completed within that school year.

(Referencing item 1 below), because the current Basic English course is non-credit and paid at State Department of Education rates, it has been especially challenging to hire qualified teachers. Over the past five years, none of the Basic English instructors have had a master's degree in English or education. Turning the Basic English course into a credit course will require our instructors to have minimum qualifications of a master's degree.(Source: Internal English department records) Studies show the need for community colleges to have quality developmental education programs: "When able to hire new instructors, community colleges committed to developmental education place a high priority on hiring faculty with specific training and experience in developmental instruction (Boylan, 2002).”

Students will also be highly encouraged to take their Developmental courses as early as possible in their college careers to prevent them from not having the necessary pre-requisites for courses that they will want to register for in future semesters and help them to meet their graduation requirements.

By aligning English and Math courses and SLOs through the UHCC system, MCC will be able to connect with other instructors and improve curriculum and support services for students. By offering professional development opportunities, faculty may “buy in” and help to understand how Native Hawaiians learn best and increase Student Success. A grants Coordinator position will make it possible to search out new funding sources for the expected increase in support services required by developmental education students and faculty.

Measurable Changes after Two Years: Increase successful completion rates from a baseline of 50% to 60% (by 10% or 14 students) for English; and, increase successful completion rates from a baseline of 56% to 64% (by 8% or 22 students) for Math.

Measurable Changes after Four Years: Increase successful completion rates from 60% to 67% (an additional 7% or 9 students for a grand total of 14% or 23 students) for English; and, increase successful completion rates from a baseline of 64% to 70% (additional 6% or 14 students for a grand total of 14% or 36 students) for Math.

Work Plan

/ Year One / Year Two / Year Three / Year Four /

Lead Staff

Change non-credit English into a 3-Credit course. / X / X / X / X / ENG Dept., Developmental Educ. Coordinator from White Paper Group Committee, The Learning Ctr. (TLC), Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs
Articulate & Align Developmental English Courses including developing common SLOS with all other UHCCs. May need to hire outside evaluators to align courses vertically on the campus. / X / X / X / X / White Paper Group Committee, ENG Dept., Math Dept., TLC
Articulate & Align Developmental Math Courses including developing common SLOS with all other UHCCs. May need to hire outside evaluators to align courses vertically on the campus. Support the retention and persistence of Hawaiian students enrolled in developmental Math courses through culturally appropriate support services and monitor the Hawaiian student enrollment and completion in the following developmental Math courses: Math 22, Math 23, Math 25, and Math 27.
As evidence by successful enrollment in the following courses and tracking toward certificates and/or degrees: to Math 107 (Vocational); to Math 100/115 and Math 135 to 203 for (BUS, Vocational); to Math 100, 111 & 112 or Math 115 (Liberal Arts-non-calculus); to Math 135 and 203 or to Math 140, 205 to 206 to 231 to 232 (Liberal Arts-Calculus) / X / X / X / X / Math Dept., TLC, Ho’okahua Project, Math Program and Maui Educational Consortium Math HI PASS PLC (Professional Learning Communities
Create and institute Professional Development Workshops for counselors who advise and all instructors who teach students in Developmental Education that will focus on pedagogy and Hawaiian culture. Ho‘okahua will support professional development activities for Math faculty to increase their content and pedagogical knowledge in addressing learners with diverse learning needs (i.e. Cognitive Tutor). Implement the use of program review strategies to aid programs (math and English) in identifying instructional and curricular strengths and weaknesses. Based on their findings, programs will develop strategies to address areas of concern and implement necessary curricular and instructional changes. Changes should stem from research that supports the effectiveness of chosen methods and or curricula within the target population or similar populations. These methods may include active, applied, integrated and cooperative learning as well as other student centered strategies. / X / X / X / X / Ho’okahua Project, Math Program and Maui Educational Consortium Math HI PASS PLC (Professional Learning Communities Developmental Education Coordinator from White Paper Group Committee, Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs, ENG Dept., TLC
Create a Grants Coordinator position to find grants to support hiring additional tutors, purchasing of equipment, supplemental instruction materials, (Internet based and traditional) and all related support services for developmental education students. / X / X / X / Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs, All Extramural Program Coordinators
Design and implement an evaluation methodology that will report on organizational impediments and opportunities for supporting the improved education of Hawaiian students.
Conduct annual focus groups and/or an online survey with students and faculty to evaluate services, institutionalize best practices for instructing and counseling for Hawaiian students and work towards a process that will ensure continued student success for them all minority and underrepresented groups. / X / X / X / X / ENG Dept., Ho’okahua Project, Math Program and Maui Educational Consortium Math HI PASS PLC (Professional Learning Communities Developmental Education Coordinator from White Paper Group Committee, The Learning Ctr. (TLC), Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs, Tutors, TLC

Priority Area C: Successful Progress and Graduation or Transfer

Evidence/Rationale: From Spring of 2006 to the Fall 2007, Native Hawaiian Cohort students at the Maui Community College persisted at a rate of 58% (65 of 113) compared to 66% (344 of 520) of All students and graduated only 11.5% (13 of 113) of the Native Hawaiian Cohort as compared to 15% (76 of 520) of All students. By developing and implementing a mandatory New Student Orientation, developing a First Year Experience that includes cultural relevance and college prep skills, initiating early interventions during the semester and acquiring more faculty involvement in advising including more professional development opportunities for them to understand how Native Hawaiians learn best, students will persist and then graduate at much higher rates.

Measurable Changes after Two Years: Increase persistence of NH students from fall semester to the spring semester by 5% compounded each year or an increase of 7 students up from projected persistence of 116 students in 2008 to 123 students in 2010; and, increase graduation in six semesters from 6% up to 9% per year or 9 students up from expected graduation of 80 students in 2008 to 89 students in 2010.

Measurable Changes after Four Years: Increase persistence of NH students from fall semester to the spring semester by 5% compounded each year or 8 students per year for a grand total of 15 students to 138 in 2012; and, increase graduation in six semesters from 6% up to 9% per year or a grand total of 13 students to 102 students in 2012.

Work Plan

/ Year One / Year Two / Year Three / Year Four /

Lead Staff

Initiate a mandatory orientation process for graduating high school students for Maui County. In the first year a New Student Orientation (NSO) will be implemented. Students will not be able to register until they attended a NSO meeting. In the following three years, the process will be refined to include contact not only with regular faculty and staff but extramural programs as well. / X / X / X / X / Counselors, Vice Chancellor Student Affairs, ATD Campus Core Team , Title III Staff, Ho‘okele, Lecturers
Develop and pilot FYE program focused on developmental education based on Student Success from the current Native Hawaiian Cohort from the Title III Program, Mu‘o A‘e. Design, implement and monitor intensive student support services for Hawaiian students that will include: cultural development; personal and academic counseling; financial assistance; and, college readiness skills. / X / X / X / X / Counselors, Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs, ATD Campus Core Team , Title III Staff, Ho‘okele, Ho‘okahua Project, Math Program and Maui Educational Consortium
Develop an Early Alert System to identify students who are having difficulties in the 4-6 weeks of the semester and offering them the appropriate support services to meet their needs. / X / X / X / X / Faculty, Counselors, Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs, ATD Campus Core Team , Title III Staff, Ho‘okele
Implement faculty advising of liberal arts students. / X / X / X / X / Faculty Advisors, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affair
Design and implement an evaluation model to document the essential elements for retention and persistence for Native Hawaiians.
Conduct annual focus groups and/or online surveys with students and faculty to evaluate current progress, institutionalize best practices, and work towards a process that will ensure continued student success. / X / X / X / X / Faculty, Counselors, Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs, ATD Campus Core Team , Title III Staff, Ho‘okele, Ho‘okahua Project, Math Program and Maui Educational Consortium

Priority Area D: Data Collection, Analysis and Utilization

Evidence/Rationale: The University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges research function is limited in personnel and resources to adequately address the data needs and analysis of its colleges or to allow for on-going tracking of student cohorts. In order to establish and maintain a culture of evidence throughout the campus, a re-evaluation of positions and (1) additional staff will be required.

Measurable Changes after Two Years: Increase staff attention to and usage of data by 50% (approximately 216 faculty and staff).

Measurable Changes after Four Years: Increase staff attention to and usage of data by 50% (approximately 216 faculty and staff) for a grand total of 100% (432 faculty and staff) after four years.